Food traceability system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for food traceability from a food service location to the consumer is disclosed. The method comprises marking food items with a received label as the food items are received. This received label identifies a storage location for the food item and generates traceability information for the food item. If the food item is not intended for storage, then the food item is transferred to a prep table and unique item information is generated for the food item. The food item can then be prepped for usage. During the prepping process, the food item&#39;s expiration date is verified, and a serial number is generated, and a use by date is calculated. If the prepped food item is to be served to a consumer, a label is generated with traceability information, and unneeded ingredients are re-purposed or properly disposed of.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional utilitypatent application No. 62/782,739 filed Dec. 20, 2018, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to a traceability system and,more specifically, to a traceability system and method for food productitems. The traceability system of the present invention allows fortraceability of the food product item from its generation to itsultimate delivery to a consumer, donation center or disposal site, andprovides transparency into the socio and environmental impacts of thefood products. The system of the present invention is particularlysuitable for food products prepared within a restaurant or other foodservice location, such as a bar, mobile kitchen, hotel, soup kitchen,etc. Accordingly, the present specification makes specific referencethereto. However, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the presentinvention are also equally amenable to other like applications anddevices.

The need for food traceability from the kitchen to the consumer isbecoming increasingly self-evident. Every day seems to bring a new foodrecall. There are also growing environmental, socio-economic and ethicalissues and concerns surrounding the amount of food waste occurring on adaily basis. For example, it has been reported that Americans alonewaste as much as 150,000 tons of food each day, and that, annually, thewasted food was grown on the equivalent of over 30 million acres ofcropland, or approximately 7.5% of all harvested cropland in the UnitedStates.

Additionally, today's consumers are becoming increasingly concernedabout food product transparency and the socio and environmental impactsof said food product items. While there has been literature writtenabout the need for traceability in the foodservice industry, there areno practical implementations of tracing food from its generation orpreparation through to the consumer or the ultimate disposal of the foodproduct. Several reasons for the lack of a practical solution exist.

First, the skill level and available time of the average foodserviceworker is relatively limited, thereby reducing the potential of usingcomplex food traceability systems that require multiple steps. Second,available food traceability technology in the kitchen and other foodpreparation locations is somewhat limited and typically consists ofmanual processes requiring the careful recording of information, use ofcolor dots, and finally transcribing the information into a digitalrecord, all of which is not only time consuming, but cost prohibitiveand prone to human error.

Therefore, there exists in the art a long felt need for a system ormethod of tracing food products from their origin (e.g., a kitchen orother food preparation location) to their delivery to a consumer or theultimate disposal of the food product. Having the ability to trace foodproducts from their origin to their ultimate destination will enablegovernments, companies and individuals in the food production chain toimprove the overall quality and safety of food product items, reducehunger and food waste, and improve overall efficiencies and thesustainability of valuable resources used in the food product productionprocess.

Generally stated, the system and method of the present inventioncomprises marking food product items with a received label as the fooditems are prepared or received. The received label identifies thecurrent storage location for the food product item, and generatestraceability information for the food product item going forward. If thefood product item is not intended for storage at its current location,then the food product item is transferred to a preparation or prep tableand unique item information is generated for the food product item oringredient. The food product item is then prepped for usage. Forexample, during the prepping process the food product item's expirationdate may be verified, a serial number may be generated, and/or a “useby”, “best by” and/or expiration date may be calculated. If the preppedfood product item is to be served to a consumer, a label may also begenerated with traceability information, and any unneeded ingredientsmay be re-purposed or properly disposed of.

As discussed herein, external traceability refers to the ability torecord and retain the what, where, when, and why each action was takenin a food product lifecycle from supply chain partner to supply chainpartner, and internal traceability refers to the product path for asupply chain participant covering commissioning or receiving through totransformation, consumption, disposal, or shipment of the food productto the next partner.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof,comprises a method for food traceability from a food product preparationor food service location to the consumer, storage or ultimate disposalof the food product item. General stated, the method comprises markingthe food product item with a label and storing data from the label forsubsequent retrieval. Then, as food items are received, a subsequentreceived label may be printed for the food product item. The receivedlabel identifies a storage location for the food product item, andgenerates traceability information for the food product item. The foodproduct item can then be prepped for usage. For example, during theprepping process, the food product item's expiration date may becalculated or verified, and the food product item may be weighed. Aserial number is then generated and a “use by”, “best by” or expirationdate may be calculated for the prepped food product item.

If the prepped food product item is to be immediately served to aconsumer, a label is generated with traceability information, and anyunneeded ingredients from the prepped food product item are stored,re-purposed or properly disposed of. If the prepped food product item isnot to be immediately served to a consumer, then a shipping label isprinted and the prepped food is available for immediate storage orshipment to a desired location.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, if the foodproduct item is not intended for storage, then the food product item istransferred to a prep table and unique item information is generated forthe food product item. Further, when the food product item's expirationdate is verified and determined to be past the expiration date, theprepped food item may be processed as donated food or waste and properlydisposed of.

Alternatively, if the prepped food product item is not to be immediatelyserved to a consumer or shipped, then the food product item may bestored. If the prepped food product item is stored, a storage label maybe generated for it. The storage label preferably comprises a quickresponse (QR) code, or other printed code, e.g. bar code, 2D code, andscanning the QR code allows a user to access traceability informationabout the food product item from a web page. Alternatively, the storagelabel may be comprised of a barcode, radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag, label or inlay. In addition, the packaging may include anembedded RFID tag without the need to apply the tag via a label to thepackage.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the foodtraceability method comprises a user receiving a food product item andgenerating a unique identifier number and a serial number for the foodproduct item. The user then assigns the unique identifier number and theserial number to the food product item, and also assigns a “use by”,expiration date and/or any other useful information to the food productitem. Furthermore, a label is then generated with traceabilityinformation for the food product item. Typically, traceabilityinformation is encoded within a QR code or other suitable code as isknown in the art, such as a barcode, RFID tag, etc.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intendedto include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages andnovel features will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of preconfigured data in accordance withthe disclosed architecture.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of one possible embodiment of afoodservice kitchen with locations uniquely identified in accordancewith the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of one method for receiving the foodproduct item in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of food product event related data inaccordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a receive label for a food product itemin accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a sample user interface for thereceive process in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of one example of a method of processinga food product item in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 8A illustrates a flowchart of the initial steps of one example of amethod of transformation of the food product item in accordance with thedisclosed architecture.

FIG. 8B illustrates a flowchart of the remaining steps of the method oftransformation of the food product item of FIG. 8A in accordance withthe disclosed architecture.

FIG. 9 illustrates one example of preconfigured prep item table data inaccordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of one example of a userinterface for prep food products in accordance with the disclosedarchitecture.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of event data generated fortransformation in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 12 illustrates a front perspective view of one example of a labelfor an intermediate food product item in accordance with the disclosedarchitecture.

FIG. 13 illustrates a front perspective view of one example of ashipping label for a consumer food product item in accordance with thedisclosed architecture.

FIG. 14 illustrates a front perspective view of one example of a cardwith traceability information that may be served with a food productitem in a restaurant or other food service setting in accordance withthe disclosed architecture.

FIG. 15 illustrates a front perspective view of one example of a quickserve label with traceability information that may be served with a foodproduct item in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 16 illustrates a front perspective view of a web page for consumerfood product information in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 17 illustrates a front perspective view of an RFID device inaccordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 18 illustrates a front perspective view of a food freshness printerin accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to facilitate a description thereof.

In one embodiment, the present invention discloses a method for foodtraceability from a food service location to the consumer. The methodcomprises marking the food product item with a label, and storing datafrom the label. Then, as food product items are received, a receivedlabel is generated and printed for the food product item. The receivedlabel identifies a storage location for the food product item andgenerates traceability information for the food product item. If thefood product item is not intended for storage, then the food productitem is transferred to a prep table and unique item information isgenerated for the food product item. The food product item can then beprepped for usage. During the prepping process, the food product item'sexpiration date is verified, and the food product item is weighed. Aserial number is then generated and a “use by” date is calculated withrespect to the prepped food product item. If the prepped food productitem is to be served to a consumer, a label is generated withtraceability information, and any unneeded ingredients from the preppedfood product item are stored for future use, re-purposed or disposed ofin a proper manner. Further, if the food product item's expiration dateis verified and food product item is determined to be past itsexpiration date, the prepped food product item may be processed asdonated food or properly disposed of as waste. Additionally, if theprepped food product item is not to be immediately served to a consumer,then the prepped food product item may be either stored or shipped to adesired location, thereby reducing waste and improving operationalefficiencies in the food supply chain.

The present invention also discloses a method of receiving a foodproduct item at a food service location, and tracing that food productitem to either the consumer, an alternative user such as a donee, or itsultimate disposal as a waste. One of the first steps in the method ofthe present invention begins with the creation and setup of criticalinformation, preferably in a comma delimitated or other suitable format,that can in turn be loaded into a food freshness printer 1800, such asthe printer 1800 depicted in FIG. 19, or any other suitable printer asis known in the art. Critical information can be any information deemednecessary for food traceability, such as the various types ofinformation 100 disclosed in FIG. 1. For example, FIG. 1 illustratescritical information 100 such as a vendor item number 102, a GlobalTrade Item Number (GTIN14) 104, a supplier name 106, an item description108, a storage location 110, an order unit 112, a plurality of storedunits 114, a shelf life 116, one or more inner packs 118, and a weight120. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that themethod of the present invention is not limited to the forgoing examplesof critical information 100, and that other types of information,critical and non-critical, can also be included to suit user demandand/or preference.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one potential embodiment of a foodservicekitchen 200 with locations, such as those typically associated with foodprep and/or storage, uniquely identified. For example, FIG. 2 disclosesa relatively large area for dry storage 202, a small area for drystorage 204, a refrigerated storage 206, a freezer storage 208, autensil storage 210, a sink 212, a trash receptacle 214, a prep table216, a plurality of reusable bins 218, a basement storage area 220, areceiving area 222, and a shipping area 224. Each of the various areasin the kitchen 200 are identified with a unique number 226, whichprovides a user with complete visibility into the food producttransformation trail, as described more fully below.

To initiate the process of food traceability, the user will receiveincoming food products that are labelled, marked or otherwise tagged byan intelligent barcode printer 1800, such as the one depicted in FIG.18. Printer 1800 is preferably equipped with a user display 1802, abarcode or QR code 1804 and/or an RFID reader 1700, such as the readerdepicted in FIG. 17, or a smart device that is communicating with abarcode/RFID printer 1800, or any other suitable device as is known inthe art. More specifically, the incoming food products are preferablymarked with a label 500, such as the label shown in FIG. 5 whichincludes a food product or item name 502, a unique identifier or GTIN504, a batch/lot number 506, a serial number 508, a product freshnessdate 510, a QR code 512, an item description 514, and other informationthat is deemed necessary or useful by a user. By way of example, theproduct freshness date 510 could be one of many dates indicating productfreshness and/or useful life including, without limitation, a pack date,an expiration date, a “use by” date and/or a “best by” date. The label500 could also be a RFID label, or any other suitable label or code thatcould be scanned in and recorded and/or linked to a webpage or database.

An example of one embodiment of a user interface 600 is shown in FIG. 6,wherein the user is prompted to scan a food product item at 602.Scanning the food product item at 602 generates the traceability data inthe background as a byproduct of normal printer functions but is lessintrusive to the user. On the other hand, if the food product item isnot already marked with a barcode 604, or other code such as a QR code,RFID tag, etc., the user will have the option to scan a code for therespective food product item from a scan book (not shown) to generateand print a receiving label for the food product item, or to input thenecessary information to generate and print said label.

One possible example of the receive process 300 for food product itemsis generally depicted in FIG. 3. More specifically, the receive process300 is initiated at 310 and a determination of whether the food productitem is labelled is made at 312, for example, via the example userinterface depicted in FIG. 6. If the food product item is labeled, thenat 314 the label (e.g. barcode, QR code, RFID tag, etc.) is read toacquire the necessary product information for traceability purposes. Ifthe data is successfully read from the label, then the data is acquiredand stored at 320, and the process continues to print or encode thereceived label at 328. After the receive label is printed/encoded, at338, event or EPCIS data is stored and the process exits the receiveprocess 300 at 340. The event of EPCIS data is preferably in an industrystandard format and can be later accessed for presentation in adashboard for problem tracing. An example of such data 400 is shown inFIG. 4.

If, on the other hand, the product is not labelled at step 312 orinformation cannot be acquired at 314 (e.g., because the three criticalelements: unique identification, product lot/serial number and date arenot present in machine readable form (e.g., barcode, QR code, RFID,etc.)), the process 300 determines if each individual element can bemachine read or, if not, an alternate data entry process is used. Morespecifically, at 316, the user looks for a machine readable uniqueidentifier and, if one is present, the process continues to 322 toacquire the product identity. If there isn't a machine readable uniqueidentity, then an identity may be scanned from a prepared scan book orother source at 318. The process then continues to 324 where it isdetermined if there is a readable product batch or serial number. Ifyes, the machine read of the lot/serial number occurs at 330 and, ifnot, the food product item may be assigned a unique serial number from acombination of the device ID and incrementing numbers at 326. Next, at332, the user determines if there is machine readable data. If there ismachine readable data, it is read at 336 and the identity of the foodproduct item is acquired. If not, the user is prompted with the currentdate plus the food product useful life from, for example, the chartshown in FIG. 1 (see e.g., shelf life 116). The user can then overridethis date if required at 334.

The receive process 336 then converges with the process from 320 at step328 where the food product item is marked, and a label is printed orencoded. Specifically, using the data from the table in FIG. 1, theprinter can now print/encode the appropriate number of inner packlabels, an example of which is depicted in FIG. 5. More specifically,the label 500 of FIG. 5 may comprise an item name 502, a GTIN number504, a lot number 506, a serial number 508, an expiration or “best by”date 510, a QR code 512 and/or a description of the item 514. The label500 could also be an RFID label or a barcode. The printer will thenserialize the inner pack labels. The final step in the receive processis creating the event or EPCIS data for receiving shown at 338. Aspreviously stated, this data is preferably in the industry standardformat and can be later accessed for presentation in a dashboard forproblem tracing, an example of which is shown at 400 in FIG. 4. Thereceive process then exits at 340.

The next sub-process in the food service traceable process is the “putaway” process. Generally stated, the put away process is designed to berelatively simple for the user. In the initial configuration, thestorage location for each unique food product item is identified. Afterthe food product item is received by a user, the user is prompted as towhether to store the food product item or not. If yes, then the foodproduct item is stored in the designated area and the traceabilityinformation is generated in the background. If the answer is no, thenthe food product item is transferred to the prep table with the uniqueitem information generated in the background.

Specifically, the food product “put away” process 700 is illustrated atFIG. 7. The put away process initiates at 710 and proceeds to thedecision at 712 as to whether to store the food product item or move thefood product item directly to the prep table. If the food product itemis to be stored, the necessary data for storage of the food product itemis generated at 716. If, on the other hand, the food product item is notgoing to be stored, then the same is transferred to the prep table at714. The two paths then converge at 718 where the necessary data isrecorded and the process exits at 720. The inventory process highlightsone of the advantages of using RFID technology in the process. Forexample, with RFID labeled inner packs and RFID readers mounted in thedry storage, the refrigerated storage, and the freezer storage, an up todate inventory with lot/serial numbers and relevant date information canbe easily obtained and maintained.

The next sub-process in the food service traceable process is thetransformation process, regardless of whether the transformation processproduces an end food product for consumption or an intermediate productthat will be used at a later time to produce an end food product forconsumption. It is important to keep the following key data elements ofthe food product in place during the transformation process: the uniqueidentity, the batch/serial number, and date. In the transformationprocess, an intelligent food process printer 1800, such as the onedepicted in FIG. 18, is used to select the food product item to beprepped. The prepped food items are preconfigured by the user with thetable 900 shown in FIG. 9 mapping the received food products intoprepped food items. Similar to the received product list depicted inFIG. 1, the prepped food items preferably have a unique identifier and a“use by” date. The use by date should be no later in time than the lastuse by date from the prepped food items. As best depicted in FIG. 9, theprepped food product items can further comprise an input vendor/itemnumber 902, a GTIN14 number 904, an item description 906, a storagelocation 908, a prep unit 910, a plurality of stored units 912, a shelflife 914, a plurality of inner packs 916, and a weight 918.

FIG. 10 depicts an example of a user interface and input screen. Theinput screen 1000 can be directly positioned on a food prep printer1800, such as the printer depicted in FIG. 18, capable of printingbarcodes and/or encoding RFID or on a smart device that can communicatewith a printer capable of printing barcodes and/or encoding RFIDintelligent labels. The user will select the food product item to prep,and then scan all of the items required to prep the food product item.Accordingly, the input screen 1000 would typically comprise an input forthe scanned item 1002, a vendor designation 1004, a lot number 1006, adate 1008, a serial number 1010, a prepped item 1012, a description1014, and a keypad 1016 for entering data in the various fields.

One potential embodiment of the transformation process is generallydescribed in the flow chart depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B and begins at800 with a prepped food product item. At 802, the user looks up the foodproduct item to be prepped. At 806, the user verifies that all of thefood product item ingredients have been moved to the prep table, and at808 the food items are scanned. At 850, the prep food product itemingredients are verified to ensure that sufficient time remains for itto be a viable ingredient. This verification is calculated bydetermining the remaining shelf life of the ingredient as compared tothe desired shelf life of the prepped food product item. If there is notenough shelf life left to make the ingredient viable, then, at 852, theingredient is processed for donation, re-purposing or properly disposedof as waste with the correct traceability information being generated,and the process returns to 806 to pull another inventory item.

Returning to step 850, if all of the necessary ingredients have beenassembled and scanned and the dates verified at 850, then the user hasthe option of weighing the food product item at 810. If the food productitem will not be consumed in the prep process, an accurate weight isrequired to maintain inventory. At 812, the item is done being scannedand the process exits to block 814 and enters the second half of theprocess depicted in FIG. 8B. If all of the items have not beenassembled, then the path to 804 is followed to assemble and then verifythe items/ingredients from storage. Additionally, in order to maintainthe ease of use of the processes, the traceability information 1100generated by the process depicted in FIG. 8A is concurrently beingassembled in the background as depicted in FIG. 11 and includes theunique identifier along with the batch/serial number and relevant dataof the items inputted into the transformation process. Next, thetransformation process assigns a serial number and a “use by” date tothe newly created item.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8B, the transformation processcontinues from block 814 to block 816. At 818, a serial number isgenerated and assigned to the food product item. The serial number isgenerated by the printer for the created item and is appropriate for, byway of example, both a 2D barcode and a RAIN RFID 96 bit SGTIN bycombining a serialized counter stored in the application with athree-digit prefix for the device ID. Nonetheless, it is contemplatedthat other serial number generators can also be used to generate andassign serial numbers that satisfy user need and/or preference withoutaffecting the overall concept of the present invention.

At 820, a “use by” date is calculated for the prepped food product itemby using the earlier of the shelf life shown in FIG. 11 for the item, orthe ingredient used in the food product item with the earliestexpiration date. At 822, the disposition of the prepped food productitem is determined. More specifically, if the food product item is to beserved to a consumer for immediate consumption, the path to 824 isfollowed and, at 830, a label is generated with the appropriatetraceability information. An example of a label 1400 prepared forimmediate end consumer consumption is depicted in FIG. 14, wherein thelabel 1400 preferably comprises a QR code 1402 and an item description1404. Scanning the QR code 1402 on label 1400 will link the user orconsumer to a web page 1600 containing the information depicted in FIG.16, such as nutrition facts 1602, ingredient source 1604, and/or lotinformation 1606. Of course, other useful information can also be linkedand provided to the user to suit user need or preference.

FIG. 15 also illustrates a front perspective view of one example of aquick serve label 1500 with traceability information that may be servedwith a food product item. The label 1500 preferably comprises a QR code1502, an item description 1504, and nutrition information 1506. Scanningthe QR code 1502 on label 1500 will also link the consumer to a web page1600 containing the information shown in FIG. 16, or any additionalinformation that may be desired, as disclosed above.

Returning now to FIG. 8B, after the label is generated, the processcontinues to 840 where the ingredients are put away. Specifically,putting the ingredient away preferably requires a weigh and scan outprocess. This process generates the traceability information moving theproduct back to the desired storage area. For example, if there areempty containers, then the user designates the scanned item as havingbeen disposed of, and generates the appropriate traceabilityinformation. The process then exits at 842.

Returning now to the immediate consumption decision at 822 in FIG. 8B,if the food product item is not to be immediately served to a consumer,then the process continues to 828 the ship/store process, and the itemlevel label is generated at 826. An example of this type of label isgenerally depicted at 1200 in FIG. 12. Label 1200 is the same whetherthe food product item is stored or shipped and typically comprises afood product item name 1202, a GTIN number 1204, a serial number 1206, aprep date 1208, an expiration date 1210, and a QR code 1212 that couldlink the user to a webpage that displays additional information aboutthe food product item, its sourcing, traceability, etc.

As the transformation process continues in FIG. 8B, it is determined ifthe food product item is to be stored or shipped at 834. If the item isstored, the process continues to 832. The appropriate traceabilityinformation is then generated and the process continues to 840 where theingredients are put away as disclosed above, and the process exits at842. If, on the other hand, the food product item is to be shipped andnot stored, then the process continues to 836 where the purchase orderis brought up on the printer and the food product item is scanned andlinked to the purchase order. This information will then be used togenerate and advance a ship notice label. FIG. 13 discloses one possibleexample of shipping label 1300, which preferably comprises an item name1302, a “sell by” date 1304, a new Wt./lb. 1306, a price/lb. 1308, atotal price 1310, an address 1312, a batch/lot number 1314, a packeddate 1316, and a QR code 1318 that could link the user to a webpage thatdisplays additional information about the food product item, itssourcing, traceability, etc. If the order is complete at 838, a serialshipping container code (SSCC) and an advance ship notice (ASN) aregenerated and the process continues to 840 where the ingredients are putaway as disclosed above, and the process exists at 842. In a furtherembodiment of the method of the present invention, an alert can begenerated to the party currently in possession of the food product itemor ingredient when the expiration date is nearing or has passed, therebyreducing the likelihood that an expired food product item will beconsumed.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subjectmatter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimedsubject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of tracing a food product from an originto an ultimate disposition: receiving at least one food item having afirst set of data linked thereto; transforming the at least one fooditem into a food product; generating a second set of data linked to thefood product; and using the first and second sets of data to generatetraceability information about the food product.
 2. The method of claim1 further comprising providing the traceability information about thefood product to a user.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultimatedisposition of the food product is one of a consumer consumption, are-purposing or a disposal.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstset of data comprises a shelf life for each of the at least one fooditem and the second set of data comprises an expiration date for thefood product.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the shelf life for eachof the at least one food item is used to calculate the expiration datefor the food product.
 6. The method of claim 4 further comprising usingthe expiration date to generate an alert about the food product to auser.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the traceability informationcomprises one or more of the following: (a) a list of ingredients of thefood product; (b) a source of the list of ingredients; (c) anidentifying number for the food product; and (d) an expiration date forthe food product.
 8. The method for tracing a food item from a foodservice location to a consumer comprising: receiving the food item atthe food service location; assigning a set of critical information tothe food item; using the set of critical information to generatetraceability information relative to the food item; and encoding thetraceability information in a label.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinthe set of critical information comprises one or more of the followingrelative to the food item: (a) a vendor identifier; (b) anidentification number; (c) a description; (d) a storage location; (e) ashelf life; and (f) a weight.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein thetraceability information comprises one or more of the following relativeto the food item: (a) a list of ingredients; (b) a source of each of thelist of ingredients; (c) an identifying number; and (d) an expirationdate.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the label is comprised of abarcode, a RFID tag or a QR code.
 12. The method of claim 8 furthercomprising assigning an initial destination to the food item andincluding the initial destination in the traceability information. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the initial destination is one of theconsumer, a storage location or a shipping location.
 14. The method ofclaim 10 further comprising using the expiration date to generate analert about the food item for the consumer.
 15. A method for tracing afood item: receiving a food item with a label; reading the label toobtain information about the food item; printing a received label forthe food item; identifying an initial location for the food item; andgenerating traceability information for the food item.
 16. The method ofclaim 15 wherein if the initial location for the food item is a storagelocation, the method further comprises designating the storage locationand including the storage location in the traceability information. 17.The method of claim 15 wherein if the initial location for the food itemis a prep location, the method further comprises the steps of: (a)prepping the food item at the prep location to create a prepped fooditem; (b) calculating an expiration date for the prepped food item; (c)generating a serial number for the prepped food item; (d) updating thetraceability information for the prepped food item; and (e) generating alabel with the traceability information contained therein.
 18. Themethod of claim 17 further comprising using the expiration date togenerate an alert about the prepped food item for a user.
 19. The methodof claim 15 further comprising encoding the traceability information forthe food item in a consumer label.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinthe consumer label is comprised of a barcode, a RFID tag or a QR code.